Word Of Alicia:  The IT nail polish shade for fall is going to be a chameleon metallic, a multi-dimensional deep metallic that changes with light and direction.   Close follow ups will be deep blues and shimmering berries.  With the 2013 fall releases you’ll see this trend, and I have to say I’m liking it!  They go perfectly with your fall staples (like jeans and boots) and work well with your fall trends (anything burgundy, wine, oxblood, etc…).  Take my word for it.

Two of the biggest players are Essie For The Twill Of It and OPI Peace & Love & OPI.  They are exact dupes.  I mean EXACT.  You can’t even tell which is which.  I put For The Twill Of It on my pointer and middle and Peace & Love & OPI on my ring and pinkie.  I can’t tell a difference!  Kinda shocking that they both came out with the EXACT same shade.   It’s like 2 girls showing up to the prom in the same dress!  I mean stores now take your High School name when they sell you a dress so they don’t sell that same dress to another girl in your school.  Doesn’t two of the biggest names in the game have a little insight into what the other is releasing.  I don’t believe they both “just happened” to create the same duplicate color.

This color reminds me of a beetle, but its chameleon like properties are in full affect!  In certain light it leans way purple, while others, a deep chrome.  It’s hard to capture its awesomeness in a photo, this is on you need on your mani in real life to really appreciate.

I never finish a trend shade bottle of polish, which is why I only by the minis.  If it’s a shade I LOVE and can not live without then I’ll go buy the full size.  (Essie Resort Collection 2010, I’m talking to you).  Essie and OPI both release a mini collection sampling the best from their fall collection.

Essie’s Fall 2013 Vested Interest Collection mini cube includes For The Twill Of It (the namesake), The Lace Is On (one of those shimmering berry shades I was talking about), Cashmere Bathrobe (a deep grey with lit from within shimmer) and Vested Interest (a blue grey creme).  I love Essie’s thought behind the collection “I love the idea of creating polish that’s like the proverbial boyfriend sweater – in this case, a blazer borrowed from the boys,” says brand founder and Global Creative Director Essie Weingarten. “Creating nail color with a warm and fuzzy feeling can be tricky,” Weingarten explains. “But when you get it right, it really is like putting on your favorite sweater.” (source).

OPI’s Fall 2013 San Francisco collection mini set includes First Date at the Golden Gate (a Golden Gate Bridge-esq orange red creme), Muir Muir on the Wall (another chameleon metallic, but red based), In The Cable Car-Pool Lane (a berry creme – there’s that berry again!), and Peace & Love & OPI.  As soon as I heard the pre-release on a San Francisco release I KNEW I had to get on that.  Being a bit of a commute outside the Bay Area, San Francisco has always held a special place in my heart and a FAVORITE to visit and spend the day.  No matter how often I go there, it feels exciting and alive each time.  I know I’ll be getting more from this collection just for the theme of it!

Check back to see my full swatches of each of the mini collections from Essie and OPI, and more fall trends that I’m loving!  Please disregard my over exposed pictures, California sunshine will do that to you.  (and thinking it would be a good idea to take these with the celly… aka too lazy to get my real camera